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‘Tulo’ finds another sad reason to give back

Upon receiving a six-year, $31 million contract with the Rockies before the 2008 season, Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said he wanted to organize a foundation dedicated to fighting cancer. The disease had taken his grandmother.

Now there is another inspiration to battle the disease.

On Tuedsay, Tulowitzki received a call that his cousin, longtime friend, mentor and workout partner Lexy Winters had died of melanoma.

The foundation has yet to be organized. That’s because Tulowitzki is being especially careful, wanting everything to be done right. He is following the example of Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, whose Turn 2 Foundation is designed to motivate young people to avoid drugs and alcohol. Jeter did painstaking homework and research before the foundation was ready for the public.

“I want an organization that’s not going to be there, then be gone if I don’t become a good player,” Tulwotizki said. “I want something that’s going to make an impact on the community and get the right people involved in it.”

Tulowitzki realizes cancer touches a large number of folks.

“I’m not the only one dealing with things,” said Tulowitzki, who said he will leave camp for California for a memorial service. “There are people out there that have family members that are sick right now. Some of them battle through and some of them get past it. Some of them don’t make it.

“But everything happens for a reason. That’s what I try to live by, and that’s how we’re handling this. It’s better than him suffering and it’s better than him not being himself.”

Tulowitzki said Winters, an older cousin, went to the same gym Tulowitzki went to when he began working out while in high school. “I told him i was going to put in double work, for him and for me,” Tulowitzki said.

Tulowitzki has inscribed “LW” on the underbrim of the cap he has worn in batting practices in Tucson. He said he’d to keep earing the inscription on his cap, and apply it to his eye black, in games, but will see whether Major League Baseball will allow it.

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